The Steps

Our Role As We Work Together

What role does the process play, and why is it important?

I am ready to move forward, what is the next step? The next step is to work your project through the process. To be efficient in developing a construction project it takes systematic framework. The core work is creative and fun but without a set system to follow the project can easily stall, grow, get out of sequence or stop all together. Every project has a path that it needs to work through to get itself ready to be built and because they are different projects require different paths and they can be determined by size, height, finishes or even location/city.

The Process is a dance between creativity, rules and budgeting that has been established to ensure that your project moves forward in a controlled, logical manner. Design development is a fun and creative experience but if left unchecked designs grow, ideas abound and budgets get blown.

Better planing = smoother construction

Get ready to plan, we'll probably spend as much time planning your project as we will constructing it. After 30 years of creating and developing projects, it has become perfectly clear that the better we plan together, the smoother the construction process will run. There are many benefits that come from strong planning. The biggest positive of strong planning is that it allows you to control your budget better and make decisions during development (which is way less stressful). Additionally, the construction contract can be fixed and more well defined, which alleviates disagreements. With the added detail that comes from further preparation, the project will run quicker once underway because the managers have a clear picture of what to build. Thus, strong planning equals higher project success rate.

Process Benefits:

Establishes a logical development system to follow.

Stream lines project development.

Ensures your project is what you wanted.

Puts you in control of the budget and allows you to make decisions at key points during development.

Allows for more accurate construction contracts.

Allows for fixed cost construction.

Speeds up the construction time line.

The Process

All projects start with an idea, need, or dream.

Step 1: Take action, contact SCI

The first discussion is to get an idea of what you are thinking about doing. We need to get up to speed with with you and decide what the proper next step should be in the process. It could be requesting a plan or setting up a meeting at your home.

Step 2: Meet at your home

Set up a meeting at your home to review your potential project. We'll walk and review your home to get a better idea of what your project will entail, discuss the viability of your idea/need, and view possible options if necessary. A rough timeline will be established for project preparation and construction. You will also need to be prepared to discuss the budget. All projects have budgets and it will determine the direction and next step in the process.

Step 3: Begin Developing Project

Now is the time to put pencil to paper. We will work with you to establish a project plan custom to your specific situation. Larger projects might include architects, engineers, and a number of specialty vendors, where smaller projects might mean shopping around in stores for necessary items. A design contract will be put in place to clarify what is going to be developed.

Step 4: PCE/Budget Check

During design development it is important to check the rough plan against the budget. When the basic floor plan has been settled and before engineering starts the plan will be Pre-Estimated to make sure it is on budget. If something is off now is the time to address it. Modifications are simple and clear decisions can be made to get the plan aligned with the budget before locking it in place. Once this is complete selections can begin.

Step 5: Final Costing and Contracting

In Step 5 final construction estimates on your project will be completed, final details will be discussed and contract documents will be prepared. Once the final construction contracts are signed it is time to build!